“Although we’re here to scout things out, shouldn’t there at least be a general idea? Grain, cloth, salt, ironware, antiques, silk, medicinal herbs, ...?” Brian Brooks asked casually, “Surely your Harris family doesn’t deal in everything, right?”

“You’re right, young master. Back in Jinling, our family has always had a modest reputation in the business of silver and silk, and we also have some connections in the medicinal herb trade with Huguang and Bashu, so...”

The man surnamed Harris cupped his hands and answered frankly.

Brian Brooks pondered for a moment, then noticed the thin, dark-skinned youth standing to the side and beckoned him over.

The youth hesitated for a moment, seemingly sensing that Brian Brooks’s attitude brooked no refusal. Thinking of the master of this grand Brooks residence, he was reluctant, but still came over.

“What kind of businesses are there on Guozi Lane and Mashi Street?” Brian Brooks asked in a voice loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.

The youth thought for a moment and replied, “Guozi Lane is all silk shops. Mashi Street is more mixed—leather goods, fruit, and also seafood. Of course, the end of Mashi Street has the most pawnshops.”

Brian Brooks nodded slightly.

The money business is nothing more than banks and pawnshops. If you’re new to Linqing and say you want to open a bank, that’s unrealistic. Without years of business dealings and a solid reputation, no one would trust you.

Pawnshops, on the other hand, are relatively simple. In Linqing, there are at least seventy or eighty pawnshops of all sizes, and every year at least ten open or close.

Guozi Lane is the most famous silk street in Linqing. Silk merchants from Jinling and Suzhou-Hangzhou all gather on this street.

When Brian Brooks first arrived, he bought five bolts of brocade, spending as much as forty gold, all to bring back to the capital as a filial gift for his parents.

This line of questioning doesn’t prove much, but at least it shows the other party isn’t lying.

If someone lies about these small details, it can only mean there’s definitely something wrong with them.

Not lying doesn’t mean there’s no problem, but lying definitely means there is.

“Uncle Philip, I’m done here.” Brian Brooks stopped asking questions and spoke directly.

“Then Little Ethan, how should we settle these people?” Normally, Philip Brooks would have arranged it directly, but today he felt he should consult Little Ethan first.

“What do you plan to do, Uncle Philip?” Brian Brooks thought for a moment. “There’s chaos in the city—when will it end?”

Philip Brooks shook his head. “Little Ethan, I don’t know, but I think it won’t be easy. With the garrison gone, even the patrol officers probably don’t dare leave the city gates. Besides, who knows how such a big mess even started?”

Brian Brooks noticed the merchant surnamed Harris seemed to want to speak, so he looked at him: “Mr. Harris, do you know something?”

“Uh, I know a little.” The man surnamed Harris didn’t hide it. “I’ve been moving around the city these days and heard that the palace tax supervisors want to add another ten percent miscellaneous tax for the Dowager’s birthday at the end of the year. Ever since Eunuch Chang came to Linqing these past few years, taxes have been rising, business has been sluggish, and the city’s craftsmen and the brick workers outside can barely make a living. There’s a lot of resentment. No one expected another tax hike now. Many workshops and kilns have had to close, directly affecting countless livelihoods, so...”

Linqing isn’t just a river port; it’s also famous for its local products. Linqing cotton and Linqing tribute bricks are the two biggest commodities.

Since the late Ming, cotton planting at the intersection of Hebei, Shandong, and Henan has flourished, and the cotton industry has developed, though not as much as Songjiang in the south. So, cotton cloth is shipped north, and northern cotton is sent south as a matter of course.

Linqing tribute bricks have been the top choice for the capital’s palaces since the late Ming. With the founding of the Great Zhou, Linqing tribute bricks became even more famous, rivaling the gold bricks fired in Suzhou, and the scale grew ever larger.

Along the canal, from Daijiawan in the south to Wangjiaqian in the north, there are countless kilns. At their peak, there were two or three hundred kiln owners, and tens of thousands made a living firing tribute bricks.

“Gold bricks from Suzhou” and “blue bricks from Linqing” became royal tributes. Gold bricks for paving floors and blue bricks for building walls became the standard for imperial palaces and tombs.

Linqing blue bricks are certainly the main supplier for the capital’s palaces, but they also supply blue bricks to the capital’s noble families and other regions. Every year, the blue bricks shipped along the canal bring Linqing’s customs office a hefty income.

It can be said that once the cotton and tribute brick businesses are affected, not only will the merchants be furious, but also the cotton field owners and farmers, kiln owners and workers, dock laborers, and boatmen along the canal—all will be greatly impacted.

Hearing the merchant surnamed Harris say this, Brian Brooks realized how serious the problem was.

If it were just merchants whose business was affected, that would be one thing—they could at least endure it. But for farmers, kiln workers, and laborers who rely on their strength to feed their families, this really pushes them to the brink.

If they’re truly left with no way out, and some ill-intentioned people stir things up, it will be very hard to control.

“If that’s the case, I’m afraid this chaos won’t be easy to quell.” Brian Brooks hesitated for a moment. “Uncle Philip, why not let them rest in the outer courtyard for now? They mustn’t make any noise, but...”